Wednesday, January 8, 2014

First, I want to state that I have brown eyes. I have NEVER wanted any other eye color. Why not? Because I was born with brown eyes. They allow me to see - a little less sharp than many - but I see. I love my imperfect brown eyes because they are mine. Nothing against blue or green or hazel or any other eye color. If I had been born with any of those colors, I would have loved them. Genetics gave me brown. Period.I mention this stand because I do not want to be compared to Pecola Breedlove of The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. No longing for another eye color here. Any eye color has the potential to be beautiful.
(Sounding defensive? Cranky? I have a cold. Insert wry face. Aaahh chooo. Sniff.)
Yesterday, I was clicking cat-themed pins on Pinterest when I came across this infographic that reminded me about several of my Mattel black dolls with blue or green eyes. Well, I assumed that those dolls depicted people wearing contact lenses. Because … black people do not have blue or green eyes unless they are mixed race. Blue or green eyes are only found in White people. Right? Cough. Wrong. Any race can have [almost] any color eyes.
When I did not find the original source for that pin, I delved a little further to uncover these sites about the odds of eye color and the science of eye genetics. I'll leave you to digest that information. Short story: it is possible.
Oh ... so maybe those black dolls with blue or green eyes are not wearing contacts. Check out these black people who have blue or green or hazel eyes. Now why did I not remember them when I thought of my Mattel dolls?
Do I think that having blue or green or hazel eyes makes a person more attractive? No. Any eye color has the potential to be beautiful. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.